Investigative Report: Air India Dreamliner Crash Raises Alarming Questions Over Boeing’s Manufacturing Practices
Ahmedabad: The tragic crash of Air India flight AIC 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, has reignited scrutiny over long-standing concerns about the structural integrity of Boeing’s wide-body jets.
The fatal incident, which killed 270 people, including those on board and on the ground, has prompted a deeper investigation into whether manufacturing flaws flagged by whistleblowers in recent years may have played a role.
Cracks in Boeing’s Dreamliner
In 2024, Boeing engineer and whistleblower Sam Salehpour brought forward disturbing allegations about shortcuts taken in the construction of the 787 Dreamliner — the same aircraft model that crashed in Ahmedabad.
His complaint to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) alleged that Boeing’s assembly process for the Dreamliner involved failing to properly fill critical gaps when joining parts of the fuselage, potentially undermining the aircraft’s structural integrity.
Salehpour described a troubling pattern: teams allegedly forced misaligned fuselage sections into place using brute force, even jumping on components to align holes for bolting.
“By jumping up and down, you’re deforming parts so that the holes align temporarily,” he told reporters. “That’s not how you build an airplane.”
According to Salehpour, such improper procedures could shorten the aircraft’s lifespan significantly, potentially resulting in catastrophic failure — a warning that, in hindsight, seems chillingly prescient.
Despite Boeing’s claims that corrective measures had been implemented, Salehpour’s legal team said in 2024 that the FAA was “shocked” to discover that the manufacturing issues persisted.
The Crash Timeline: One Minute to Disaster
The Air India Dreamliner that crashed had been in service for 11 years and had completed a multi-leg journey from Paris to Delhi, then to Ahmedabad, without incident — until its final takeoff.
According to a briefing by Union Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha, the aircraft lifted off at 1:39 PM and reached an altitude of approximately 650 feet before it began to lose height.
The pilot issued a Mayday distress call almost immediately, indicating a full-scale emergency.
Air Traffic Control (ATC) lost contact moments later. Within a minute of takeoff, the jet plummeted and crashed into a building in Meghaninagar, about two kilometers from the runway.
The crash not only killed all 242 people on board — including 230 passengers, two pilots, and ten crew members — but also resulted in significant casualties on the ground, bringing the official death toll to 270.
Investigations Underway
Multiple investigative bodies — including the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), and international aviation safety experts — are currently probing the cause of the crash.
Authorities have recovered the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, which will be crucial in reconstructing the aircraft’s final moments.
While investigators have yet to determine whether structural failure was the direct cause, the timeline and Salehpour’s whistleblower claims raise disturbing questions.
Could manufacturing deficiencies that escaped regulatory scrutiny have led to a catastrophic failure just seconds into flight?
A Pattern of Oversight?
This is not the first time the Dreamliner has come under fire. Between 2021 and 2023, Boeing deliveries of the 787 were paused for nearly two years as the FAA probed quality control issues.
The aircraft had been touted as a marvel of modern aviation with a projected lifespan of 50 years. Salehpour, however, warned in 2024 that flaws in assembly could dramatically reduce that lifespan.
“I am doing this not because I want Boeing to fail, but because I want it to succeed — and prevent crashes from happening,” he said.
Broader Implications
The Ahmedabad crash is now viewed not only as a national tragedy but also as a potentially grim consequence of systemic manufacturing and oversight failures.
If the ongoing investigations validate Salehpour’s warnings, it may lead to global repercussions for Boeing, including renewed grounding of its aircraft, class-action lawsuits, and international regulatory reforms.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, addressing the media alongside Sinha, confirmed that all standard protocols were followed after the crash, including temporarily closing Ahmedabad’s runway and opening it to limited traffic by 5 PM the same day.
However, the minister acknowledged that the nation would seek answers and accountability.
As families mourn their loved ones, the question that looms large is this: Were the warnings ignored until it was too late?
This is a developing story. Further updates will follow as investigation reports are made public.
